and his cultivation had also improved quite a bit.
"Ah, that feels good~"
Xiaobai couldn't help but sigh in comfort,
before immediately clapping his hand over his mouth.
I am a mighty Demon Emperor, how could I degenerate?
Besides, Master is an absolute fraud!
The previous two times, I also felt this kind of comfort.
As a result, the first time I was so comfortable I lost my cultivation, and the second time I was so comfortable I lost my physical body.
What if this time...
It's over...
I'm doomed.
Master is trying to comfort me to death!
Wuuu wuuu...
I feel so good!
While suffering in his heart, Xiaobai was simultaneously enjoying it.
It was a complete contradiction.
After striking him one hundred times, Yekong stopped.
"Comprehend this well, Master is heading back first." Yekong put away the whip and turned to leave.
"Master!" Lin Yaoyao suddenly called out.
"What is it?"
Yekong turned back to look, only to see Lin Yaoyao gently biting her lip, her face flushed as if she had something difficult to say.
"I want... I want..."
"I want to ask Master to whip me once more!" Lin Yaoyao said with great difficulty.
She knew that having this whip strike her body aided her cultivation.
Although it was humiliating, for the sake of her cultivation, she could no longer care about such things.
"Alright, Master will come and whip you again tonight," Yekong said, taking his little leather whip and heading back.
Hearing Master's words, Lin Yaoyao stood frozen in place, dumbfounded.
Master, I meant whip me right now, not tonight!
If you come to my room deep in the night, it's very easy for people to let their imaginations run wild!
Especially right in front of Xiaobai.
Does this Demon Emperor's dignity mean nothing to you?
Even if you come tonight, I won't open the door for you!
Lin Yaoyao made up her mind.
Xiaobai slowly climbed up, tears welling in the corners of his eyes, wearing a wronged expression.
"Junior Brother, what's wrong with you?" Lin Yaoyao asked in confusion.
"Did Master's beating hurt you?"
When Master disciplines me, it doesn't hurt at all!
However... you're still so young with delicate skin, so it probably does hurt.
And Master really, knowing that Xiaobai is still a child, he still disciplines him.
Now look, he cried from the beating!
Xiaobai didn't answer Lin Yaoyao. He crossed his arms over his chest and walked away.
Returning to his room, he folded his arms across his chest and lay down on the bed with his eyes closed.
I'm finished, I'm going to die.
Feeling this good this time, I'm definitely going to die.
I am so wretched, I'm going to be comforted to death.
Xiaobai was completely in despair; he simply couldn't handle Master's warmth.
The first time, roasting by the fire burned away his cultivation; the second time, drinking brown sugar water dissolved his physical body.
And getting beaten felt this good this time...
I'm a goner, I'm a goner!
Xiaobai lay quietly on the bed, already resigned to never waking up again.
A moment later, the sound of snoring rang out.
"Hoo~ hoo~ hoo..."
Chapter 34: Turns out Master and Senior Sister have...
Nighttime.
Lin Yaoyao sat cross-legged on the bed, the wooden door half-open, waiting quietly.
She was waiting for Master to come and discipline her.
Meanwhile, Yekong was lying on his own bed, fast asleep.
Men and women must keep their distance.
Even if he needed to discipline his disciple, he would have to wait until tomorrow; coming in the dead of night, how unseemly would that be?
Yekong still had a very clear sense of propriety.
Lin Yaoyao waited in her room all night, but Master never showed up to discipline her.
Could Master have forgotten?
Didn't he say he was coming to discipline me at night?
It's already the middle of the night, why isn't he here?
Sigh, Master forgot again.
Lin Yaoyao sighed inwardly and sat cross-legged to cultivate.
Early the next morning.
When Lin Yaoyao got up and was about to go look for Master, she pushed open her door and saw Master standing right outside.
"M-Master." Lin Yaoyao was somewhat surprised.
"Mm." Yekong nodded slightly, holding the leather whip in his hand.
Lin Yaoyao looked at the leather whip in Master's hand, her brows furrowed slightly.
Not coming last night, but coming early in the morning?
"Master, didn't you say you'd come discipline your disciple at night?" Lin Yaoyao couldn't help asking.
"Disciple, men and women must keep their distance, you know. If word got out, it wouldn't look good for your reputation," Yekong stated.
If I came at night, what would happen if you didn't let me leave?
Even though this master is a decent man, entering a maiden's bedchamber in the dead of night is still improper.
Hearing this, Lin Yaoyao felt utter contempt in her heart.
Old lech!
Talking as if you're actually a decent person.
What kind of decent master sneaks peeks at his disciple bathing?
Besides, there are only three people on Xiaoyao Peak, and Xiaobai is still asleep. If you come to discipline me at night, who would even know?
Contempt aside, Lin Yaoyao still returned to her room and lay down properly.
Yekong took the Whip of Ultimate Bliss and slowly walked in, seeing Lin Yaoyao hugging Xiaolan as she lay on the bed.
"Disciple, are you ready?"
Lin Yaoyao bit her lip lightly and gave a soft hum: "Mm."
Yekong picked up the Whip of Ultimate Bliss and lashed down.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
Lin Yaoyao offered no resistance, choosing instead to comprehend the profound mysteries within.
...
Inside another thatched cottage.
Xiaobai woke up slowly, opened his eyes, and stared at the roof beam above.
"I... didn't die?"
Xiaobai looked around in a daze, confirming that he was still alive.
Safe and sound, without a single thing wrong.
And after a good sleep, his entire body felt exceptionally comfortable.
"I'm fine, that's wonderful!" Xiaobai cried out.
He had thought he would be comforted to death, but nothing happened at all.
After the joy passed, Xiaobai gradually calmed down.
"This doesn't make sense. Clearly it felt so good I thought I'd die this time, why am I completely fine?" Xiaobai frowned, unable to figure it out.
The warmth bestowed by Master usually came with massive problems.
Yet this time there was not a single issue, and on top of that, it felt amazing.
Xiaobai pondered for a long time, utterly failing to understand.
Whatever, being fine is best.
As long as this Demon King is still alive, that's all that matters.
Xiaobai pushed open the door and walked out, stretching his arms to embrace the sun, feeling an indescribable sense of comfort.
He had barely taken two steps when he suddenly heard the voices of his Senior Sister and Master.
"Disciple, endure a little longer, it's almost over."
"Mm~ ah..."
Smack, smack, smack!
A series of ear-burning sounds drifted out from the thatched cottage, and Xiaobai's face filled with utter shock.
Hiss!
Master actually and Senior Sister...
Hiss!
They actually have that kind of relationship!
Xiaobai was shocked and dumbfounded, never expecting that Master and Senior Sister would share such a relationship.
In broad daylight, in the open for all to see, they actually... actually...
Terrifying, simply too terrifying!
Senior Sister, you possess the bearing of a Great Emperor!
How could you end up with trash like Master?
Xiaobai was too shocked to even know what to say for a moment.
Senior Sister and Master actually having that kind of relationship—
It was simply preposterous!
The 'smack-smack' sounds continued for about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea before gradually stopping.
Xiaobai was completely numb.
He didn't even know how to process this anymore.
"Disciple, absorb it well," Yekong said, then walked out the door with his hands behind his back.
Having disciplined his disciple for so long, she should have comprehended quite a bit by now, right?
Man, that exhausted me.
Yekong wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
During the discipline, one had to be entirely focused without a shred of distraction, and the energy consumption was immense.
Seeing Master emerge with a drenched forehead and a slightly unsteady gait, Xiaobai's inner suspicions were further confirmed.
Senior Sister and Master actually... actually...
Rumble!
Xiaobai instantly felt as if a bolt of lightning had exploded in his mind, his brain buzzing with a roaring sound.
He hadn't been entirely sure before—what if he had just misunderstood?
Not until he saw Master come out did he have no choice but to believe it.
Senior Sister and Master really did have a relationship.
Senior Sister, as someone with the bearing of a Great Emperor, how could you possibly take a fancy to Master?
What is even good about Master?
He has no cultivation to speak of, no status, not even any real authority.
Aside from being slightly handsome, he is completely useless.
Handsome...
Xiaobai grew depressed.
Being handsome really could get you free meals.
Not long after, he saw Lin Yaoyao walk out.
He saw that Senior Sister's face was flushed and glowing, her footsteps somewhat unsteady, and her gaze somewhat dazed, causing him to sigh in disappointment.
Senior Sister, oh Senior Sister, you are a future Great Emperor, yet you actually...
Sigh.
Xiaobai felt a mixture of pity and bewilderment in his heart.
With Senior Sister's domineering personality, there was simply no way she would ever fancy a good-for-nothing master.
Then why on earth did she do it?
Xiaobai racked his brains, but could never figure it out.
Right now, Lin Yaoyao was in a state of Dao comprehension and hadn't yet snapped out of it.
Within this state of Dao comprehension, she could instantly comprehend multiple cultivation techniques.
Sitting cross-legged by the pond for a long time, Lin Yaoyao finally woke up gradually.
"I didn't expect Master's discipline to be so effective, allowing me to achieve sudden enlightenment in an instant. It seems joining Xiaoyao Peak wasn't completely useless after all," Lin Yaoyao said indifferently.
She slipped into the water to cultivate the Nine Dragons Tyrant Body.
Having entered the state of Dao comprehension earlier, she had grasped many things she had previously missed, and was now making up for them.
After returning, Yekong sat by the Bitter Sea and picked up his fishing rod to fish.
Disciplining her for so long had completely worn him out.
Xiaobai sat inside the thatched cottage for a long time before running over to the edge of the Bitter Sea to sit down, secretly sizing up Master.
"Xiaobai," Yekong called out.
"Master, I'm here," Xiaobai answered immediately.
"If there's anything you don't understand in your cultivation, feel free to ask me anytime. Don't be lazy like your Senior Sister, understand?" Yekong instructed.
"Understood," Xiaobai replied on the surface.
Ask you if I don't understand cultivation?
Talk as if you actually know anything; if you understood, you wouldn't still be stuck at Qi Condensation.
Besides, Senior Sister was only lazy because you, bright and early in the morning...
"Xiaobai."
"Hm?"
"Do you have nothing to do?" Yekong asked.
Hearing this, Xiaobai immediately said, "I have things to do, I have things to do! I'm going to go cultivate right now!"
With that, Xiaobai scurried away in the blink of an eye.
He knew that if he stayed behind, nothing good would come of it.
There might even be danger.
Cherish your little life, stay away from Master!
Watching him leave, Yekong focused entirely on fishing.
Qi Condensation +1
Chapter 35: The Wanhua Gathering Might Be Missing Xiaoyao Peak
Inside Wanhua Peak.
A hundred flowers bloomed in unison while white birds sang long melodies.
Even more maidens played zithers and danced amidst the immortal mists, competing in fragrance and beauty like a painting.
Petals drifted through the air, and a rich fragrance assaulted the senses.
Down the mountain, male and female disciples from numerous peaks had gathered, quietly waiting for the Wanhua Peak array to open.
A moment later,
Liu Ruqing, the Peak Master of Wanhua Peak, stepped upon a hundred birds and appeared in the air.
Clad in a hundred-flower blue skirt, wearing a phoenix-wing hairpin, and with her face lightly powdered, her plump figure and beautiful countenance captivated countless cultivators.
"Welcome, everyone, to Wanhua Peak to attend the Wanhua Gathering!" Liu Ruqing said softly from the air.
With that, Liu Ruqing waved her hand and opened the array protecting Wanhua Peak.
Flower petals fluttered through the air, and Wanhua Peak disciples stood on both sides to welcome the guests.
Many disciples walked forward excitedly.
The Wanhua Gathering was an important festival within the Stellar River Sect.
Hosted by Wanhua Peak, it provided the inner sect disciples of the Stellar River Sect an opportunity to select cultivation partners.
As long as both the man and the woman took a fancy to each other and felt mutual affection, they could forge a union.
However, each person could only choose one partner, and betrayal was forbidden for all eternity.
Should anyone betray their cultivation partner, the lighter punishment was expulsion from the sect, while the heavier punishment involved crippling their cultivation.
Wanhua Peak was a peak populated exclusively by female disciples, so countless male cultivators eagerly wished to participate, hoping that finding a beloved maiden would make this lifetime complete.
"Upon entering my Wanhua Peak, no causing trouble, no fighting. Both men and women must be entirely willing; anyone who resorts to coercion will be bound and taken to the Penalty Hall for punishment!"
"Should you wish to forge a union, it requires my approval," Liu Ruqing announced from the air.
The gates opened, and the crowd surged inward.
The moment they stepped through the gate, they felt as though they had arrived in an immortal realm.
Accompanied by the sound of zithers and dancing flower petals, Wanhua Peak's female disciples had meticulously dolled themselves up, standing or sitting amidst the clouds and mist.
Their wondrous figures flickered in and out of view within the immortal mists, provoking infinite imagination.
Fine wine and delicacies were laid out everywhere among the pavilions and courtyards.
Young men and women searched for prospective partners within this immortal mist.
In a tranquil courtyard,
Liu Ruyan sat in the master seat with her disciples, while below her sat the peak successors of the other seven peaks.
Aside from Xiaoyao Peak, which hadn't come, the successors of the remaining seven peaks were all present.
In the center of the courtyard, over a dozen slender, graceful maidens danced to the accompaniment of string and wind instruments.
Music and dance filled the air, surrounded by a bevy of beauties.
"Disciple, everyone here represents the talents of the eight peaks. Have your eyes on any of them?" Liu Ruqing asked the disciple beside her.
"This disciple wishes to follow Master in cultivation and currently has no thoughts of choosing a cultivation partner," Su Qingwan replied truthfully.
Su Qingwan was the flower successor of Wanhua Peak. Blessed with peerless beauty, she was the goddess in the hearts of countless disciples.
"Master, how come Xiaoyao Peak is nowhere to be seen?" Su Qingwan inquired.
"Xiaoyao Peak? Wasn't invited," Liu Ruqing said casually.
She knew all too well what kind of place Xiaoyao Peak was; there was no need to invite them.
"The Little Swordsman of Tianjian Peak is quite good. If you have any thoughts, Master can help tie the red thread for you," Liu Ruqing said, pointing at Chen Changqing, who sat at the head of the lower tables.
Hearing this, Su Qingwan's face darkened, and she didn't even spare Chen Changqing a proper glance.
"Master, are you trying to push your disciple into a fire pit?" Su Qingwan looked up at Liu Ruqing with a deadpan expression.
If others didn't know what kind of person Chen Changqing was, how could they possibly not know?
Though his strength was formidable, he was far too romantic and fickle.
Liu Ruqing felt a moment of awkwardness before turning her gaze to Qin Shou, the successor of Yushou Peak.
"Qin Shou, the successor of Yushou Peak, is also quite good."
Su Qingwan thought of Qin Shou covered in manure and almost threw up right then and there.
"Master, he has special hobbies, I don't like him," Su Qingwan rejected him decisively.
"What do you know? The finest flowers all require nightsoil for nourishment," Liu Ruqing retorted unhappily.
"Besides, he possesses the bearing of a Great Emperor, and his future prospects are boundless."
Su Qingwan lowered her head in silence, clearly having no interest whatsoever.
"Who on earth do you like?" Liu Ruqing asked, looking at Su Qingwan.
"This disciple does not yet have anyone she fancies," Su Qingwan lowered her head and said.
"Peak Master, the Wanhua Gathering is being held, why are there no people from Xiaoyao Peak in sight?" Chen Changqing looked up and asked.
He wanted to see Lin Yaoyao of Xiaoyao Peak.
"Wanhua Peak and Xiaoyao Peak have never interacted, so I didn't send anyone to summon them," Liu Ruyan said casually.
Qin Shou put down his wine cup and chimed in, "Peak Master, the Wanhua Gathering is a grand event within the Stellar River Sect. Logically speaking, not a single one of the nine peaks should be missing."
"Since Xiaoyao Peak didn't come, isn't that... somewhat inappropriate?" Qin Shou looked toward Liu Ruyan in the master seat.
He had prepared quite a few things on his way here.
He had intended to make Xiaoyao Peak humiliate themselves in front of the crowd.
Yet upon arrival, Xiaoyao Peak hadn't even shown up, which made things rather awkward.
"Indeed, the Wanhua Gathering simply cannot be without Xiaoyao Peak," Chen Changqing agreed.
Hearing their words, Liu Ruyan furrowed her brows slightly.
Tianjian Peak and Yushou Peak had always had zero relation to Xiaoyao Peak, and were even somewhat at odds.
Why would they suddenly speak up for Xiaoyao Peak?
They definitely harbored malicious intentions.
These two fellows seemed to hold grudges against Xiaoyao Peak.
Still, the Wanhua Gathering was getting a bit dry anyway; once Xiaoyao Peak arrived, perhaps there would be a good show to watch.
"Yuanyuan, deliver an invitation and invite the people of Xiaoyao Peak to attend the Wanhua Gathering," Liu Ruqing instructed immediately.
"Understood!" A young maid behind Liu Ruqing acknowledged, transforming into a blue bird that flew off toward Xiaoyao Peak.
Hearing that Xiaoyao Peak was to be invited, Su Qingwan instantly perked up, the corners of her mouth curling up involuntarily.
Qin Shou looked down at the items he had prepared, a lewd smile spreading across his face.
Chen Changqing watched the departing bird and stroked the sword at his waist.
This Wanhua Gathering was destined to be extraordinary.
Seeing Qin Shou and Chen Changqing settling down, Liu Ruqing half-reclined in the master seat, quite happy to watch the upcoming drama.
"I truly wonder how Junior Brother Yekong will handle this."
"I'm looking forward to it."
...
Xiaoyao Peak.
While Yekong was busy fishing, a blue bird flew through the air, landing steadily beside Yekong before transforming into human form.
"Uncle-Master Yekong, Wanhua Peak's Peak Master is holding the Wanhua Gathering today. This is the invitation for your Xiaoyao Peak!" the young maid said, presenting the invitation.
Yekong took it, glanced at it casually, and tossed it aside.
"Mm, I know. You can go back," Yekong waved his hand.
"Understood!" The young maid acknowledged, turning around to fly back.
Yekong continued fishing, having zero interest in the Wanhua Gathering.
They called it a Wanhua Gathering, but it was essentially just a dating mixer.
Utterly boring.
"Ding! Detection that the Wanhua Gathering is being held. Please lead your disciples to attend. Completing the task will grant a special fishing opportunity," the System's voice rang out, reminding Yekong.
Hearing this, Yekong put down his fishing rod and picked the invitation back up.
Unexpectedly, this Wanhua Gathering could trigger a task, so it seemed he would have to make a trip.
Going didn't hurt anyway, and taking his disciples out to broaden their horizons was a good idea.
"Xiaobai!" Yekong called out.
Xiaobai, who was in the middle of cultivation, instantly jerked awake.
"Master, what is it?" Xiaobai asked.
"Go call your Senior Sister. Master is taking you two out for a stroll," Yekong instructed.
Hearing Master's words, Xiaobai frowned.
Taking us out for a stroll?
Who wants to go for a stroll with you? You might not cultivate, but we still need to.
Xiaobai muttered inwardly.
Chapter 36: Passing Through a Myriad of Flowers, Not a Single Leaf Touches the Body
Below Wanhua Peak.
Yekong walked leisurely with his hands behind his back.
Lin Yaoyao stood on his left, while Xiaobai followed on his right.
Xiaobai hadn't wanted to come at all, but fearing that Master would bestow some "warmth," he obediently tagged along.
Just as they reached the foot of the mountain, they were blocked by disciples of the Wanhua Palace.
"Apologies, the Wanhua Gathering has already begun, outsiders are prohibited from entering."
Hearing this, Yekong produced the invitation.
"Here, your Peak Master gave me this invitation."
"Apologies, having an invitation isn't enough," the mountain-guarding disciples stated firmly, as they didn't recognize Yekong.
"In that case, go report this to Senior Sister Liu Ruqing," Yekong said calmly.